There are several types of pilers used in the sugar cane industry to produce a pile of cane that can then be placed into a transport unit by a sugar cane loader, which carries the piler and a boom supported grab assembly. The push piler is the cheapest and simplest of the pilers and comprises at least two forwardly facing, generally C-shaped structures which are spaced laterally from each other so as to define a piler pocket between them into which a loader grab tine may pass during loading cane stalks piled by the piler. A variation of a simple push piler of this type is a star or football piler and incorporates rotating elements along with the push piler. An example of this can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,318. Another piler variation is known as a chain piler. An example of a chain piler is the Model SP2254 manufactured by Cameco. All of these pilers attempt to build a large bundle of cane stalks and to dislodge soil from the piled cane stalks by rolling the stalks backwards into the pile being formed.
The present invention concerns chain type pilers. The aforementioned Cameco Model SP 2254 chain piler consists of a frame shaped to define an upwardly and rearwardly extending inclined plane. A plurality of vertically disposed, endless roller chains are spaced across, and envelope, the frame, and are looped about respective first sprockets carried by a horizontal head shaft located at an upper region of the frame and respective second sprockets carried by a horizontal tail shaft located at a lower region of the frame. The chains are each equipped with a plurality of conveyor tines, with individual tines engaging the cane stalks at locations adjacent the tail shaft and carrying the cane stalks upwardly during forward movement of the piler until the individual tines move around the head shaft. At this point, the cane stalks are disengaged from the individual tines by forwardly curved deflector plates. As no direct force is being exerted by the chains on the cane stalks at this point, the deflector plates act similar to a push piler. The cane stalks tend to snow ball at the head shaft with little tumbling back onto the pile. If a sufficient amount of cane stalks pile up at the head shaft, cane stalks can top the forwardly curved deflector plates and bridge the piler pocket. This results in the pocket being obstructed, resulting in the rear grab tines having difficulty entering the pocket. In addition, the chain conveyor teeth become somewhat bound into the pile of cane stalks, which can result in the possible damage to the cane stalks and/or to the chain when the grab is closed about a load and lifted.
The problem to be addressed by the present invention is that of providing a chain piler that does not have the operating disadvantages attendant with the above-described prior art chain piler.